Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday in a preview clip of her interview with NBC’s “Today Show” that she would “not absolve” any senators from the responsibility of passing the Democrats voting legislation, including Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WA) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
President Joe Biden endorsed changing the Senate filibuster rule to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, saying it’s time to choose “democracy over autocracy” during a speech at Morehouse College in Georgia on Tuesday.
Biden added, “So, I ask every elected official in America: How do you want to be remembered? At consequential moments in history, they present a choice: Do you want to be on the side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Do you want to be on the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor? Do you want to be on the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?”
Harris said, “I will not absolve the 50 Republicans in the United States Senate from responsibility for upholding one of the most basic and important tenets of our democracy, which is free and fair elections and access to the ballot for all eligible voters.”
Host Craig Melvin asked, “What about Senator Manchin? What about Senator Sinema?”
Harris said, “I don’t think anyone should be absolved from the responsibility of preserving and protecting our democracy.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN